1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to electrostatographic reproduction apparatus such as copiers and printers which produce fused toner images on copy sheets. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a reproduction apparatus which includes a process control skive device that strips copy from the fusing mechanism of the reproduction apparatus.
2. Background Art
Electrostatographic reproduction apparatus such as copiers and printers, which produce or reproduce toner images on copy sheets by employing electrostatic charges and toner particles on an image-bearing surface, are well known. Typically, such copiers and printers operate through a sequence of currently well known electrostatographic process steps These process steps for example include (1) charging an insulated photoconductive surface with electrostatic charges, (2) forming a latent image electrostatically on such surface by selectively discharging areas on such surface, (3) developing the electrostatic image so formed with particles of toner to form a toned image, (4) transferring the toned image to a suitable copy sheet, (5) fusing the transferred toned image onto the copy sheet by moving the copy sheet through a fusing apparatus, and (6) cleaning the photoconductive surface after image transfer by removing residual toner and/or other particles therefrom in preparation for similarly reusing such surface to produce another such image.
As disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,959, issued Nov. 11, 1980 to Ateya et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,594, issued May 26, 1981 to Umans et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,234, issued Jan. 29, 1985 to Schram; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,784, issued Aug. 4, 1987 to Tamary, a typical fusing apparatus for use in such copiers and printers includes a heated, rotatable fuser roller, and a rotatable pressure roller that forms a contact fusing nip with the fuser roller. The suitable copy sheet carrying the toned image is moved contactably through the contact fusing nip such that the toned image directly contacts the heated fuser roller.
As further disclosed, for example in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,784 patent, skive devices are well known for stripping the copy sheet from the heated fuser roller as the copy sheet exits from the contact fusing nip. The quality of the fused image produced on the copy sheet depends significantly on how well the toner particles, which form the toned image, are heated and fused, on how well and efficiently the toned image is released from the surface of the fuser roller, and on how clean and unsoiled non-image areas of the copy sheet are, as the copy sheet exits the contact fusing nip. It has been found that besides temperature and rotational speed of the fuser roller, the density or degree of toner particle laydown of an image being fused, also significantly affects how well the toner particles forming the toned image are heated and fused. How well and how efficiently the toned image is released from the fuser roller, and how clean and un-soiled the copy sheet is, depend in part on the adequacy of a rate of toner release oil that is applied to the surface of fuser roller.